Ariel Vromen Prepares For Dive

James Cameron's long-gestating free-diving project The Dive is finally coming together with director Francis Lawrence and star Jennifer Lawrence. So we predict a possible name-change in the not-too-distant future for the Dive that Ariel Vromen has just signed up for{ =nofollow}. His is a submarine drama, for which he's also writing and producing alongside Laura Rister (Lawless).

The Iceman director's screenplay involves a retired naval officer traumatised by an earlier event, who starts working undercover for the DEA among cartel smugglers. It sounds as if he gets rumbled though, since his family are then kidnapped, and he has to face his fear of the ocean to deliver a fortune's worth of cocaine and confront a dangerous narcotics kingpin.

The film is the first fruit of a five-picture deal between Untitled Entertainment and Fortitude International, who have put up all the finance. There's no cast attached yet, but Dive is expected to perform well at the European Film Market in Berlin next month, where its international distribution will be up for grabs. The producers are keeping the US rights themselves.

Vromen's **Criminal, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Costner, is currently in post-production and set for release on August 21.